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Tom Redwood
Tom Redwood, known to the player as Red, is the unseen deuteragonist of Penumbra: Overture, along with being referenced in Penumbra: Black Plague, as well as a minor character in Penumbra: Requiem. In the first episode, he guides Philip Buchanon throughout the mines to his whereabouts, promising to have valuable answers if he is rescued. For the most part, Red is only ever contacted via radio, with the exception of the endings where he speaks to Philip directly. Background Before his arrival to Greenland, little is known about Red's life, other than he was born around 1956 and could have possibly been of English or Danish nationalityNews Clipping: Copenhagen Post ... We have discovered that the man in question was a young labourer brought in from mainland Europe, possibly Denmark, and authorities on both sides of the Strait are currently attempting to contact any family he may have left behind. ... (although the latter is unlikely since his surname is English and he shows some common British traits). In 1970, 14-year-old Tom began to work at the North-Western Mine in inhabited Northern Greenland on November 24th (21 days before his “disappearance”). In his note found by Philip, it's hinted that Red's family had financial problems, which could have been the reason why he took the job in the first place. Redwood even states that he feels proud to “send money home”, which supports this presumption. Unfortunately, after three weeks of working, Red was trapped in an off limits part of the mines due to a cave-in, making it impossible for the boy to escape in any way. It was at this moment that Tom Redwood realized that he will never be found by his colleagues. According to News Clipping: Copenhagen Post, Tom “disappeared”/the collapse occurred on December 15th, 1970 (ten days before the article's release) and his mine foreman eventually declared him dead, after an unsuccessful search of the whole mine operation. Actually alive, Redwood spends the next 30 years entirely isolated with only a few options to keep himself occupied, such as reading various books, searching for food, and ensuring his own survival by getting familiar with his "new home". Biography Penumbra: Overture The player first hears from Red after being contacted by him through the radio in the Communications Central Room. He instructs Philip Buchanon on how to reach him, promising answers should Philip finally make contact. However, Red's intentions seem ambiguous at times. He is known to ramble on in odd tangents, accusing Philip of believing Red has lost his mind, soon after apologizing for his outbursts. At one point, he even tricks Philip into going through a spider-infested tunnel, which he claims was a "well deserved punishment." Occasionally he also talks about the things he experienced under the Greenlandic ice. Once he talks about an incident when the Tuurngait Infected were chasing him, but he managed to “bury them beneath the solid sky” by blowing up a certain tunnel ''and later he philosophizes how his hunger made him cannibalize a man he found dead in Lake Utuqaq. However, as a sign of respect he waited until "the stench of life was gone". Fate After much progression, Philip finally arrives at Red's location, only to find that he has locked himself inside a large incinerator. He states that he has wished to die for a long time, but that suicide was "''against the rules" and asks Philip to activate the incinerator, killing him. Having no other choices at this point, Philip then turns on the incinerator, granting Red his final wish. The key allowing Philip to progress is found in the ash tray under the incinerator among Red's remains. When inspecting Red's living area, a noose is found hanging from the ceiling above a chair, a failed attempt to end his own life. There are several crosses and religious symbols, although this is contrasted by the vaguely lewd imagery of females on the walls. A note in his room states that Red was first trapped when he was fourteen, indicating that he was trapped for many years - it also states that he wished to use this time to read his books which he brought from his home, but that he may have to read them twice. Penumbra: Black Plague In Penumbra: Black Plague, it is discovered that Red came into contact with the Tuurngait. Like Philip, Red was not completely infected, retaining a large portion of his conscience. However, the infection was still enough to prevent wilful suicide, due to Tuurngait's nature of keeping its host bodies alive. Personality: Years of loneliness and reading numerous books (including Shakespeare, Kant, Bronte and Nietzsche) have strongly influenced Red's personality. At first he comes across like an ordinary man, driven mad by cabin fever who seems pretty Kafkaesque. His fixation with literature is more or less the reason why the man mostly talks about himself in the 3rd person and uses countless vocabularies and metaphors to each of his interpretations (so Philip is not surprised that “he speaks so strangely".) Appearance Red never makes a physical appearance throughout the course of Penumbra: Overture or Penumbra: Requiem. However, his appearance is shown in a piece of artwork, The Cave by Danny Antivalidis, which is used in the intro of Penumbra: Black Plague, where he is depicted in his miner fatigues with a hard hat, sharp teeth, glazed eyes, and unkempt, wild hair which meet an equally wild and unkempt beard. Trivia * Red is voiced by Mike Hillard, who voiced the Protagonist in the original Penumbra prior to his role as Red. Gallery Penumbra: Overture Red's_Quarters_Noose.png|One of Red's attempts at suicide. Penumbra: Black Plague Tom Redwood.png|''The Cave'' by Danny Antivalidis, depicting Red in an unknown part of the mine, eating alongside a dog as he stares at the viewer. Tom Redwood - Intro_image03.png|Ditto, the cropped version used in the intro. Tom Redwood - Burning Man.png|''Burning Man'' by Danny Antivalidis, depicting Red being burned alive in the incinerator. Tom Redwood - Intro_image04.png|Ditto, the cropped version used in the intro. References Category:Characters Category:Characters in Penumbra: Overture Category:Characters in Penumbra: Requiem Category:Unseen characters